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JOHN E. USALIS / STAFF WRITER This vacant lot at the corner of North Main Street and Park Place Road in Mahanoy City will become a community park with a playground in the near future. The borough-owned lot was the site of the former Kaier Brewery, which was demolished in 2017. The borough received word this week that it was awarded a $68,000 PennDOT grant to install sidewalks, curb ramps and signage.

MAHANOY CITY — The borough received word that it was successful in securing a state grant of $68,000 that will be used for sidewalk improvements and signage near a planned community park.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday that the state Department of Transportation will distribute nearly $11.5 million in Automated Red Light Enforcement funding to 35 municipalities for 41 safety projects. Mahanoy City was the only municipality in Schuylkill County to be awarded a grant.

The $68,000 coming to Mahanoy City will be used to upgrade pedestrian facilities at Route 339 and Park Place Road by installing new ADA-compliant curb ramps, sidewalks and signs.

The location is near the former Kaier Brewery site. The building, which was vacant for decades, was demolished last year by the borough. The plan is to create a community park with a playground, which could be used by children at the Child Development Inc. center across the street.

The total cost of the site improvement that includes the demolition and park creation is more than $500,000. The demolition and park development is funded through a $120,000 grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority and grant payments over a two-year period from Keystone Communities, one being $20,000 in the first year and $280,000 in the second year, as announced in November 2014. A portion of the funding comes from the Marcellus Legacy Fund, which is generated by the impact fee placed on Marcellus Shale gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

“We’ve been applying for this for years since I’ve been here,” Borough Manager Daniel L. Lynch said. “We thought that we had a better chance to get the grant once we got the brewery down and the park was going to go in.”

Lynch said the improvements will provide additional pedestrian safety: “Our focus is on safety. It’s about traffic safety with the park there, and with the kids going back and forth, it’s even more important.”

Lynch said no firm timeline has been set for construction to begin and he will consult with borough engineers about a starting date.

“It will be as soon as possible. We don’t see any reason why we would wait,” he said.

Under state law, fines from red light violations at 30 intersections in Philadelphia supply the grant funding. Pennsylvania’s ARLE program aims to improve safety at signalized intersections by providing automated enforcement at locations where data shows red-light running has been an issue.

The law specifies that projects improving safety, enhancing mobility and reducing congestion can be considered for funding. Municipalities submitted applications for more than $34 million in requests.

Projects were selected by an eight-member committee based on criteria such as benefits and effectiveness, cost, local and regional impact and cost sharing. This round of grants brings the total dollars awarded through the ARLE funding program since 2010 to $62.87 million.

Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023

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